Wisdom from Sacred Rest by Saundra Dalton-Smith

•  "I could complain, but it would be futile. If I'm completely honest, I'm to blame for this storm. I created it. I fueled it. I continually recruit and pull others into it with me. I didn't mean to do it. It is just a reality of the life I created." (4)
• "Funny how everyone can smell the char of your slow burn except the one standing in the fire." (6)
• "when your natural strengths are taken to the extreme, they can become a liability." (9)
• "But escapism is not rest . . . Downsizing your life without a restful plan for filling the gaps only opens the door for other enemies like laziness and apathy." (17)
• "Sleep marathons are destructive to your health. Rest never destroys." (18)
• "Well-rested people do not exponentially multiply their activities; they divide and conquer." (19)
• "Rest will win every battle you initiate with it. You can either honor your need for rest or surrender to the one-two-punch of a mandatory rest." (29)
• "We confuse the exercise recommended for weight loss with the activities promoting body peace." (43)
• "A purging of the mind before turning in for the night is needed to declutter your mental space." (50)
• "An excellent mental rule to practice is in Philippians 4:8, where we are encouraged to allow our thoughts to rest on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable . . . Mark a conscious effort to fill your mental space with restorative thoughts." (53)
• "You experience emotional rest when you no longer feel the need to perform or meet external expectations." (58)
• "The only way out is to return to the place where we can rest in our current truth without shame or guilt." (60)
• "rest in the self-awareness of your unique quirks and propensities." (64)
• "I just need time in my day to feel like I come first. I spend most of every day giving away my love and energy to others . . . I need a break, so I don't break." (91)
• "Hold firm to your resolve to honor that twenty minutes or one hour you et aside to unplug. Make this time sacred. You can use this time in conjunction with other restful activities like stretching, praying, meditating, or simply just being still." (94)
• Creative rest is "the rest one finds when immersed in creative beauty." (95)
• "Creative rest lets you focus on your basic need for wonder." (97)
• A "change in scenery will cause your mind and spirit to recalibrate the new input of its surroundings." (98)
• "Studies have also shown our brains are most at rest in natural environments like the beach." (101)
• "Creativity tends to peak in the evening hours." (103)
• "It's time to lay aside the notion of endless work being the end to the means." (109)
• "1. Don't bend your life to fit into a space too small for your personal needs. 2. You may break in the process. More is only better if you already have a system for releasing the overflow. Otherwise, the abundance will hinder your ability to move freely. 3. Your only limits are the mental ties you allow to bind you. Thinking differently precedes doing differently." (119)
• "You are not designed to withstand continuous pouring out with no plan for regular replenishment." (128)
• "It was a time for me to separate the wheat from the chaff in my life. I needed to determine those things I did because they were mine to do and the things I did because I wanted to please others." (149)
• "allow room in your day for therapeutic silence." (156)
• The gift of cessation is "the ability to take our hands off the wheel. It's the ability to stop, not because you are exhausted and have to, but because you choose to." (165)
• "Rest should change you for the better. You can identify rest by the fruit it produced." (166)
• "The gift of cessation stops the bleeding in your life. It heals the slow leak draining your energy. Cessation is the restoration of you. We each need some unoccupied time every week to let the fertile ground of our heart and mind regenerate and replenish." (166)
• "Does your rest have the purpose of spiritual revival?" (167)
• "Purposeful rest leaves behind a residue of joy, and it ushers in the fruit of love, peace, kindness, and gentleness." (168)
• "Do nothing when you're upset." (170)
• "The gift of art sifts the lovely out of the ugly." (176) 
• "Psychiatrist and researcher William Glasser suggests we remember only 20 percent of what we hear. That means when you talk to your kids, spouse, or colleagues they may recall only a tiny fraction of the conversation. They are not benefitting from the whole message . . . In contrast, when there is active discussion, we can retain more than 70 percent of the same conversation." (180)
• "Rest will remind you to be gentle with your words, quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (see James 1:19)." (181)
• "Productivity is getting things done that matter and seeing good fruits growing in your life." (186)
• "When you make time for rest, you make time to taste and see the fruit you are producing." (190)
• "Spending time enjoying God and His creation will fortify your spiritual health, which in turn influences your attitude and how you respond to the choices presented to you." (192)
• Heart choices: "Live in the present or live for the future . . . Adapt to change or push yourself to the breaking point." (194)
• "Rest is an act of seeking." (200)